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New at Classic: Apps, weed control & industrial products

A new iPhone app unveiled at the Commodity Classic in San Antonio allows its users to add fields directly on their mobile device by clicking on preloaded field shapes. Previously only available on the web, the mobile app from FarmLogs now allows farmers to view at-the-field rainfall data and crop history information for each field. Available at farmlogs.com, the app automatically populates predicted crops, inputs and budgets for each field based on crop history. Farmers have the ability to add or modify crops and inputs field-by-field including seed variety, fertilizers and chemicals.

University of Wisconsin researcher Vince Davis estimates that herbicide-resistant weedsare now costing farmers $2 billion a year. Speaking at the Commodity Classic in San Antonio, Davis urged farmers to diversify their crop rotations to manage weeds. And this diversification “includes diversification of effective herbicide modes of auction, diversified weed-management practices and also utilizing non-herbicides control options such as tillage and cleaning equipment to remove weed seed,” Davis told farmers attending the conference.

The problem with weed resistance has grown to the point that the United Soybean Board is investing soybean checkoff money to educate farmers on the problem. The association has created a web site, www.takeactiononweeds.com, to provide producers with more information.

By far and away, the largest consumer of soybeans continues to be livestock producers. But interest in the crop for industrial products continues to grow, farmers attending the Commodity Classic in San Antonio discovered. In fact, 38 new soybean-based industrial products hit the market last year thanks to soybean checkoff money being employed to help develop products with various manufacturers.